The January Wrap Party

As in every year, January seems to last about four months. I put a lot on my plate as far as goals, and overall am very pleased with how the month has turned out. Because there is more positive than negative, I'm going to talk about my failures before my successes.

The only aspect of my monthly goals that I failed was my journey with 75 hard. The rules were simple: 2 45 minute workouts a day (one being outside), 1 gallon of water, 10 pages of self development book, stick to a pre-determined meal plan, and a daily progress selfie. A couple weeks ago, my husband and I had an unplanned cheat meal and I didn't finish my water for the day.

Whoops. Life happens. Mistakes happen. When you fail at this program you're supposed to start over again; however, I have decided not to. I'm still doing most of the requirements; however, I am just making them a part of my life instead of creating a finish line. My life has been happier since. The best thing I got out of this experiment was daily reading of self development books. I read Gretchen Rubin's "Better than Before" and have recently started reading through "The Art of War for Writers" by James Scott Bell. I am so excited to finally be reading writing books as it is absolutely expanding my mind and desire to continue to write.

Now, for the successes, and there are a few. At the beginning of the month I talked a bit about planting flowers, the concept of practicing positive self-talk/love. It wasn't a perfect month especially where my day job is concerned; however, the rest of my life has been on the up. I am learning to appreciate the small things that I do that are not only a positive in my own life, but in those around me. I have given myself the space and grace to pursue writing as an imperfect experience in order to fulfill lifelong dreams. But allowing myself the grace to make mistakes, I find myself more active in my writing environment and I look forward to continuing to water those flowers into bloom.

Writing is present in multiple ways. For starters, I've blogged everyday this month and in a lot of ways it has been easy. I find myself planning ahead and scheduling posts which allows me more freedom in my days. I have my Lead for my novel and will beginning free writing scenes to learn more about her personality and the journey she will be embarking on this year. Reading has also greatly enhanced both my ability and desire to write. I read and see examples of what I want to do (and what I don't want to do). I am looking forward to doing more writing exercises to develop myself and by practicing daily, I feel my growth as both a person and as a writer. This delights me. Heck, I've even got my short fan fiction planned for Alice's birthday in May. I am well on my way to achieving my goals for this year.

The biggest surprise for me in the month of January is how much I read. If you have been following along, or if we're friends on Good Reads (find me @ Shethinks23), then you know that in the month of January, I read 27 books. No, there is no typo there. I cannot even tell you how I managed this (well okay, audio books during my workouts/puppy walks), reading before work, after work, and before bed, but I also managed to work a full time job and live my life well.

This year, it is my desire to not only tackle my TBR (to be read) list from my home library, but to continue/get current or finish series' that I've started either this year or prior years. Below you will see the books that I've read this month, and tomorrow you will be my February 2020 TBR list, which is going to be slightly different due to a MASSIVE classic I plan on reading. Because when I read classics, I read so slowly. I know it's hard to believe after the month I've had, but trust me... it's true! If you look back at my January 2020 TBR list, it will show that I read every single book on that list. YAY ME! :)

Favorite book of January 2020: Becoming by Michelle Obama
Favorite series of January 2020: The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop
Least favorite book of January 2020: Based on ratings, probably both novella's by Victoria Aveyard; however, probably The Path Made Clear by Oprah Winfrey mostly because it just wasn't what I was hoping it to be.

Books read (in order) for January 2020

1. Becoming by Michelle Obama
2. Daughter of the Blood (The Black Jewels, #1) by Anne Bishop
3. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore
4. The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life's Direction and Purpose by Oprah Winfrey
5. Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
6. Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher
7. Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher
8. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
9. Heir to the Shadows (The Black Jewels, #2) by Anne Bishop
10. Queen of the Darkness (The Black Jewels, #3) by Anne Bishop
11. The Elite (The Selection, #2) by Kiera Cass
12. Queen Song (Red Queen, #0.1) by Victoria Aveyard
13. Steel Scars (Red Queen, #0.2) by Victoria Aveyard
14. The One (The Selection, #3) by Kiera Cass
15. Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
16. The Heir (The Selection, #4) by Kiera Cass
17. The Crown (The Selection, #5) by Kiera Cass
18. The Prince (The Selection, #0.5) by Kiera Cass
19. The Guard (The Selection, #2.5) by Kiera Cass
20. Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin
21. The Favorite (The Selection, #3.5) by Kiera Cass
22. The Dream Theives (The Raven Cycle, #2) by Maggie Stiefvater
23. The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood, #1) by Melissa Albert
24. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
25. Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle, #3) by Maggie Stiefvater
26. Twisted Twenty-Six (Stephanie Plum, #26) by Janet Evanovich
27. The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4) by Maggie Stiefvater

If you've made it this far in my blog, hi! I hope you're doing well. How are your goals going? Are you making progress? What has been the biggest challenge? Your biggest success? Please remember that goals are not set in stone. You can adjust them at any time. Your desires change. The amount of free time you have in a day can change. Your dreams can change. Goal setting is ultimately about making a plan and achieving your dreams. If things are not jiving right, redo the goals, but never give up on the desires of your heart.  You are worth it.

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

It has been said that all good things must come to an end. I have said so must things that you know were good, but you didn't fully connect with. Let me preface the rest of my review with my rating of the final installment in the Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater. This book scored a four out of five stars.

Blue, Gansey, Noah, and Ronan's story comes to a breaking point as the mystery of Glendower and Cabeswater are resolved. We also discover the true meaning behind the psychic reading that has been haunting Blue for most of her life.

I felt the Glendower reveal was anti-climatic. Stiefvater spent the better part of four novels building the mythology around this ancient sleeping king, and I was let down by the reveal.

The biggest surprise came by all that Ronan had created once you are able to look back to the very first novel.

Ultimately; however, I think that Maggie Stiefvater has a brilliant imagination. I just don't think this series was the right fit for me. It was very good, no question. I rated the series as a whole four out of five stars. I'm older than the age range this was intended for, and I'm guessing that is what was missing out for me. If I had read this as a teen, I have a feeling my reaction would have been much different.

Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich

The year was 2019, and I read the first 25 books in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. This is a series that my mom has read for years. I wanted to have something else that she and I could talk about so last year I tackled the series (on audio book).

Book 26 was released while I was in Europe, so after I got home, I put it on hold through the Libby App through my local library. I listen to this series on audio book because I really enjoy listening to the narrator, Lorelai King. I think she voices Stephanie and the entire cast very well.

Here's the thing about this book series: It's all be done before, many times, and better. Evanovich has a cookie cutter formula for her Stephanie Plum novels, and it works for her (even if it is predictable). What we basically learned in book one through 26: Stephanie Plum is a not great bounty hunter. She can't decide between the two men in her life. Her Grandma Mazur is a riot. Even though everything has literally been done before, I still enjoy these books. They are light, mildly funny, and they are familiar to me. I spent several years of my youth in Jersey, so that part is a little bit about bringing myself home.

Janet Evanovich

The big cliff hanger from book 25 ended within the first few sentences of the new book. Disappointing as the prior book actually had me super invested in coming back thinking more was going to happen. We have our big story arch with the missing keys and Grandma's now deceased husband. In the middle of things we have a few skips Stephanie and Lula catch, and a ton of donuts and cookies were consumed. Grandma gets kidnapped (again) and so does Stephanie (again). What did I learn about this book? That when necessary, Stephanie can drive a cement truck down the road at 80 miles per hour. Because I still enjoy the familiar, I rated this three stars out of five. I'm sure I will put the next one on hold through my library this November when 27 is released (just a guess, it's been November every year for years).

First DNF of 2020

I knew this day was bound to come. In fact, it is two years in the making. When Alice and I became friends almost exactly two years ago (feels like a lifetime though... in a good way, really!), she introduced me to the concept of DNFing (Did Not Finish) books. I am a completionist; however, the premise behind the concept was good. Life is to short to waste time on books that do not bring you joy.

I trudged through several terrible books over the last two years and managed to not DNF a single book. It's important to note that I didn't realize this until this morning. Love the concept, I was terrible at the follow through. That is, until today.

A few days ago, I began "Olive Kitteridge" by Elizabeth Strout. I had recently purchased "Olive, Again" at a local thrift shop and didn't know it was a sequel. Thankfully, Alice is also my most commonly used library and I was able to borrow the first from her. The concept of this Pulitzer Prize winning novel (don't think I don't realize that I should want to read this) is 13 unique short stories in this small town that all somehow have Olive in each and every one. I made it two and a half stories in before I finally admitted to myself that this was not for me and that it was time to move on.

I gave my borrowed copy back to Alice today and UN-hauled the second book. If Alice likes it, she can read it. If not, I will be taking it to McKay's so that I can try my hand at other books that I am interested in.

I was worried I would be overwhelmed with guilt over DNFing (which I aptly called DNR (do not resuscitate) this morning to my husband, Steve); however, I feel free to now focus on books that I will actually enjoy reading instead of slowing my pacing down.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Well, well, well. Color me corrected. It took me three books to finally hop onto the Raven train, but I am 100% in. For those not following along, "Blue Lily, Lily Blue" is the third book in the Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater. And shit is getting real. Really weird, but in the best of ways.

If you've not read my previous review on this book collection, although it has scored decently, it hadn't taken me to any wow moments. I like it, but I wasn't connecting with any of the characters, and the fantasy aspect of the story... well, I was just trudging along. I was basically at the point of reading to finish the series and not reading to find out what happens next.That is no longer the case. I'll be starting the final book today.

In this book, we continue our search for the Welsh King Glendower as Ronan continues to dream walk, Adam embraces Cabeswater, and we finally discover more about Blue and her powers to amplify other people's magic. The stakes are raised when Blue's mother disappears, and death becomes a very real reality in their lives. The power of magic and the consequences are through the roof as Blue and the Raven Boys get closer to waking the king.

This book has a little bit of everything: magic, a touch of romance, suspense, danger, and mystery. My first five out of five star rating for a Maggie Stiefvater book. Well done.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

I have owned "The Strange and Beautiful Sorrow of Ava Lavender" by Leslye Walton since September of 2019. It had been a book that I had heard about for more than a year. I was interested in the concept and wanted to read it; however, I let it sit on my shelves for months. I had decided that I needed to be in the right mood for such a book. In a lot of ways, that is true. There are some absolutely heartbreaking moments; however, this book deserves to be read. To call this book strange or odd would be an understatement, yet at the same time, it is undeniably beautiful.

This book has a very slow start. You don't start right with Ava Lavender and her life, but you go back generations before and learn about her family line. The first fifty or so pages had me wondering if this was going to go on my did not finish list which left me quite disappointed because there were several people I trust in book reviews and they all gave this book five stars. I made a commitment to read at least the first 100 pages and then decide. After about 75 pages I was completely hooked and I could not finish this fast enough. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and am very familiar with its rain and grey days. I felt right at home among these pages and didn't want to leave. Despite the slow start, I rated this book five out of five stars.

Leslye Walton

I have read magical realism before; however, I did not know its name. I would call it realistic fantasy or not put it in a genre at all; however, I think magical realism sounds a little more mysterious, and I like it very much. According to Dictionary.com, the official definition is "a style of painting and literature in which fantastic or imaginary and often unsettling images or events are depicted in a sharply detailed, realistic manner." Knowing this, it brings a lot of perspective to this novel that has a strange fairy tale feel to it.

This was an incredible debut novel for Leslye Walton. I know that in 2018 she published a book called "The Price Guide to the Occult" that I will keep a look out for because I definitely want to read more of her stuff as this story is also set in the Pacific Northwest.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

My interest in this first began with it's title, "The Hazel Wood." From there, I was enchanted by the cover. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but it was just so darn pretty. The complexities of the cover lighted my imagination and I knew that I had to know more.

I will be the first to admit that I never read the teaser and when I started reading this book, I had no idea where it would go. I had no idea how dark it would get. It delighted me to my soul.

This story tells of a girl, Alice Proserpine, and her mother Ella, the grand daughter and daughter of the mysterious cult-fairy tale writer are running from bad luck/curses.

You get a brief history of all of the places Ella and Alice lived over the years before settling in New York City.

After her grandmother passes we are engulfed in this massive mystery of very dark fairy tales and a journey that takes Alice and her friend Finch to upstate New York into the Hinterlands in search of the home that was left for her, The Hazel Wood.

We are given a few of the fairy tales in full and the rest are left to mystery (hopefully unraveled in the sequel, "The Night Country" that was released on January 7, 2020. I have my copy on hold with the Libby application through my local library. I still have about eight weeks to wait on that one, but I am very excited to see where Melissa Albert takes this story and these unique fairy tales.

I rated this book four stars out of five because I feel as though more/most of the time should have been spent in the Hinterlands, the half woods, and The Hazel Wood. Of the ten fairy tales they alluded to, only a couple were divulged. That, in all honesty, just wasn't enough.

I was shocked by the quality and darkness that surrounded the fairy tales and I cannot wait to get back into this world. It was much better than I expected it to be.